Social media is like the apple in the Garden of Eden
Thoughts on social networking by Ashley forbes Kellogg:
Are you sending an accurate message? The answer to this question has never posed a stronger consequence than it does in reference to social media. Reputations have been lost, people have been fired because they tweeted inappropriate things. Friends should never let friends tweet drunk.
For whatever reason I am occasionally called to give my opinion and over the last six months I’d been asked three times to chime in on my thoughts regarding social media. The last interview I popped off with, “Social media is like the apple in the Garden of Eden.” Of course it’s the one that made print and there was no way to suck in my words. They were indeed cast to the wind. At that moment I knew that I could no longer be casual about the new “hot topic” of social media.
Four times a year, I invite ten great minds to engage in conversation, debate and discuss a topic over a meal and bottle (or two) of wine. After my realization that I could not longer ignore social media, I assembled my salon. After a three hour lunch and several meetings with experts (sans wine) here are the highlights of my research. Social media will:
· Change the way people buy products; it cannot be ignored
· Alter how humor is communicated
· Revolutionize not only how we transmit information but also how we “find” people.
This, to me, is the astounding part, and the rationale for all those reluctant folks to join in. A colleague using the web was able in two hours to find top-notch software managers he had worked with 15 years ago that he thought would be perfect for a current project. A few years ago this would have been like finding a needle in a haystack.
· Increase transparency and consequently boost morale and trust- consumers are in control of marketing/advertising messages
· Provide the next generation with the groups they want to be identified with. Generations following the “Baby Boomers” lacked the herd we took for granted: small towns that changed with the speed of glaciers, small schools and churches where everyone knew each other and played the same role for years
· Eat up a great deal of time and money if you don’t have a plan
Shortly after the salon, I received an email from a guest at the table. He mentioned that I was particularly quiet and he had missed my usual passion. I thanked him and mentioned I’m only passionate about something I can get my arms around. In truth, I have gone from adverse to interested to intrigued and my research continues.
I do a lot of things but I am, at heart, a teacher. I found early on that you are the most effective when you are curious – not when you know it all. So, I’m learning about this beast and reporting what I find. Let me know what you think?
Ashley Forbes Kellogg
aforbes@forbesrobinson.com
214.528.0839
